JCJC ecoBobcats to offer Community Recycle Day April 20

In honor of Earth Week, the people of Jones County and surrounding areas are invited to drop off old electronics, recyclables and gently-used clothing, all of which will be recycled.

The Community Recycle Day, sponsored by the Jones County Junior College environment-friendly student organization, the ecoBobcats, will be held Friday, April 20 from8 a.m.-1 p.m. in the JCJC football stadium parking lot. This event is free for the public.

Examples of electronics that will be accepted include desktops, laptops, printers, copiers, fax machines, scanners, stereo equipment, peripherals, VCR and DVD players, home and cell phones, cameras, modems, game consoles, radios, servers, microwaves, power cords, plugs, wires, cables and hair dryers. All items can be dropped off for free. The electronic waste recycling company, Ecovery, from Loxley, Ala., is partnering with the college for the event.

“We at Ecovery are proud of our efforts to keep e-scrap from going into landfills across the country,” said Christopher G. Bardasian, vice president sales and marketing.“We look forward to having many more partners in this great cause, and I know together we can help take recycling to the next level.”

Ecovery does not accept any items containing hazardous materials. Examples of these include several home appliances, such as air conditioners, gas-powered equipment and smoke detectors. The company will not accept television sets at this event.

Also on board for the Community Recycling Day is Advanced Disposal (Sumrall Recycling) which partners with the college for its recycling program. The public is invited to bring regular recyclables to the event such as cardboard boxes, junk mail, file folders, paper, phone books, magazines, newspapers, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, CDs and DVDs, plastic grocery bags and household plastics. All regular recyclables can be put together in a bag or box and don’t have to be separated.

In addition to the two recycling companies on hand, the ecoBobcats will collect gently-used clothing to donate to the Salvation Army and Good Samaritan. The clothing drive is part of a national clothing challenge event held each year among colleges. Clothing can be dropped off before April 20 in the lobby of the Student Center, in a box located beside the cafeteria entrance.

“This is the ecoBobcats’ first community recycling event,” said Kelly Atwood, ecoBobcat advisor. “We hope this event is a success, and we are already in the process of planning the event for next year, which we hope will coincide with the Great American Clean Up and Hazardous Waste Day, all in one location. We’ll want to bring back our erecycler next year as well since there are no major electronic recycling options in the area. How large the event will be next year depends on the turnout we have this year.”